Best Of Indie Games: Elementary, My Dear Watson

[Sister site IndieGames.com: The Weblog editor Tim W. rounds up the week's top free-to-download and commercial indie games, plus notable features on his sister 'state of indie' weblog.] This week on 'Best Of Indie Games', we take a look at some of the top independent PC Flash/downloadable titles released over this last week. The goodies in this edition include a platform game that features a forgetful elephant, an online PvP fantasy card game and a 3D platformer with clever puzzles. Other highlights include an overhead car chase game, a tile matching-puzzler from the developer of Time4Cat, and an underwater-themed shooter where you play the role of a cold-hearted mermaid. Game Pick: 'This is the Only Level' (John Cooney, browser) "A short puzzle platformer that can be completed in roughly ten minutes or so. The objective here is to guide a blue elephant towards the exit pipe safely, but in order to achieve that you would first have to unlock the door which blocks your path to freedom. If you happen to get stuck, just press the panic button to reset everything back to their original positions for another go." Game Pick: 'Elements' (Zanzarino, browser) "A strategy-based card game that features both single-player and online multiplayer modes, deck building options designed for ease of use, and no micropayments needed for acquiring new cards. Some gameplay balance issues still exist, but if you can look past that then Elements is pretty much the best free fantasy card game available out there." Game Pick: 'Boxgame' (Sophie Houlden, browser) "Boxgame is a puzzle platformer in which gravity is ruled by big, transparent boxes in the centre of each level. Jumping off a ledge will result in some crazy re-orientation, after which you most likely won't be standing on the same plane anymore. Sophie has clearly put a ton of thought into some of the solutions (especially towards the end) and, while it never gets incredibly taxing, you'll definitely need to use your brain for this one." Game Pick: 'The Heist 2' (Johnny Two Shoes, browser) "The Heist 2 is an overhead car chase game in which you play the crook, pulling one successful robbery after another as you try to amass enough money for your retirement plans. It's all about making quick getaways, dodging incoming traffic and ramming police cars to the side so that you can put some distance between you and your pursuers." Game Pick: 'Knightfall 2' (Megadev, browser) "Knightfall 2 is a tile-matching puzzler with a nifty gimmick - instead of controlling the protagonist directly, you would have to rotate the board and remove the blocks underneath our hero to move him around. This applies to objects and enemies in the play area as well, as everything is affected by gravity and will move to fill any gaps created when you take away blocks from the board." Game Pick: 'A Cold Heart' (Joep Aben, freeware) "A short underwater-themed shooter where you play a cold-hearted mermaid, out to take the lives of ten different sea creatures by singing for them with your beautiful voice. You start out with three hearts that represent your well-being, although you there are ample chances to replenish them after every boss fight."